The large man watches her move away with a smirk on his face. He lets out a quiet snorting sound at her attitude. He makes no motion to stop her or argue. "Yeah. This is a bar. You can dance here, stay here and I will make sure you get fed and watered." He casually moves a bit closer as she pulls out the skimpy costumes. "Yeah that'll work. Keep this place clean too. You can pick out what you wanna wear for now. When I have a special request I will let you know."

Again, she nods. Rising to her feet, she takes the tiny skirt, wrapping it about her hips and buckling it snugly. She tugs at it a bit, realizing it's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't and it just isn't going to cover any better either way. "Agreed," she says. She drapes a skimpy halter top over her breasts and adjusts it carefully. She bounces slightly on her heels, frowning at the resulting bounce beneath the gossamer fabric. She peers into the box and frowns. "No shoes," she observes, "I'm unaccustomed to them anyway. Of course, the paths I'm accustomed to tread were far smoother than what I've seen here."

The man-monster laughs softly. "Looks good on ya." He shrugs. "You don't need shoes anyway. You look good dancing on your toes. Besides this will give you more motivation to keep the floor clean." He glances back at the bar. "You can drink as much as you want but if I catch you givin away drinks to others for free, you're gonna have to pay for it, one way or another." His eyes narrow with a clear threat at the last warning.

"I am no thief," she responds hotly, "And I do not drink alcohol." She walks over to the mirrored wall and studies her reflection in the glass. "This seems more than a little...inappropriate," she says, then rises on her toes unconsciously proving the point. "Is this something I could wear outside?"

Think Tank shrugs again. "Why do you need to go outside? You got plenty to do in here. Don't worry. Soon there will be lots of people coming here. A lot are gonna wanna watch you dance. You're gonna be real popular."

The cyborg laughs. "You ain't in the cage. She is." He nods toward the woman in the small cage. "Where are you wantin to go? You ain't got no friends or anything out there. There's nothin for you there except more misery. At least here you ain't got to worry about the cold and snow. You got food, drink, warmth. You got it easy here compared to the rest of the city. You know out there, they hunt down people who ain't human like us. They hunt us down and kill us." He nods slowly. "The first time, they electrocuted me. The second time they took my head off." He lifts his chin to show the scar on his neck.

She grimaces at his words and nods understanding keeping secret the knowledge of the voices, calling without sound, communicating their need for help. For succor. For reassurance. "But why do they hunt us?" she asks.

He walks over and refills his glass with beer. "The normal humans don't like anyone who is more powerful than they are. You see they wanna try and just keep everyone down and under control. They want to rule. They fear the strong. They don't want anyone upsetting their oppressive kingdom they got set up. If you step out of line they pounce and try to exterminate anything against their plans." He takes a drink.

The woman begins to move slowly in her sleep, dreaming. Think Tank pours another drink. He takes his time before he answers. "Betrayal. She has powers, that's why she was wearing that colorful costume. She's got powers like us but she uses them to hunt others down. She works for the humans I was telling you about."

The cyborg laughs as he finishes his drink. "Nah. They won't find her here. I cover my tracks real good. This place is hidden. It is outside the city limits where most are afraid to go." The woman moves in her slumber, shifting a bit closer toward Niamah's hand. Think Tank continues as he looks through the bar supplies. "The only ones who come here are those like us. They come here cause they know it is safe. Her? I'm gonna sell her. She'll end up serving someone as a maid or something, some rich guy will pay heaps to have her do his chores and stuff."

A sadness crosses the delicate face as she strokes the woman's hair. Seeing the woman move, Niamh straightens up, tugging at the hem of her tiny skirt. She moves back to the bar and retrieves the leftover burgers. Bare feet silent on the clean swept floor, she returns to the cage and kneels beside it. "Can you hear me?" she asks, her voice soft and melodic, "I have food, if you're hungry."

Think Tank laughs as he watches the blond tending to the caged girl. He walks toward the door. "I'm gonna go get the rest of the stuff the bar needs for tonight. You both better be here when I get back." His heavy steps resound as he walks out.

The woman in the cage slowly starts to open her eyes. Her pupils go wide with fear as she wakes.

The girl holds a finger to her lips, cautioning the woman in the cage. She remains silent until she's sure the man-monster is gone. "Here," she says, pushing the bag through the bars. "It's dead flesh, but it's not too bad." She studies the woman for a long moment, opening her senses to feel and see if their captor's story is true. "He says you hunt others," she continues, "Others with powers. Is this true?"

The woman stirs a bit, rolling back against the other side of the cage. She rubs her head and then looks at the burger. She slowly starts to speak with a hoarse dry voice. "W-what?...Where am I? Who are you?"

"I am called Niamh," she replies softly, a soothing tone in her voice. "And where you are is a very dangerous for you to be. Eat," she says, gesturing at the bag, "Then we must see what we can do to get you out of here before he returns."

The woman looks out from behind her curly hair. She starts to speak but winces as she tries. She swallows a bit before her words come. "Where is here? Last thing I remember is confronting that monster...Think Tank." She rubs her temples again. "I thought he was dead. Can I have some water. I don't think I can eat now." She starts to slowly stretch her toned body to work out the stiffness.

The girl nods, silvery hair whispering on slender shoulders. "Ov course," she replies. Running lightly on her toes, Niamh retrieves a glass of water from behind the bar. "Here you go," she says, pushing the glass through the bars of the cage. Wide, blue eyes scrutinize the woman intently. "You haven't answered my question," she adds, "Do you hunt your own kind like he says you do?"

The woman quickly takes a drink. She coughs and has to pause to force herself to slow down. She smiles as she lowers the glass. Her eyes are a golden brownish color, her skin a deep tanned. Her hair hangs in golden brown curls onto her shoulders. Someone more familiar with humans would have difficulty determining her race. She appears to be a mixture of all the races of humanity. "Thank you." She wrinkles her brow. "Hunt my own kind? I don't know what you mean. I am a hero. I do hunt down criminals. My name is Pinnacle." She looks down at her tattered suit, one breast hanging out exposed, her pants torn open to reveal her most intimate areas, only one boot on her foot, the other bare. She sighs softly. "Well, it is Pinnacle when I have a costume on."

The girl's smile is radiant, a strange, inner glow residing in her eyes. "Hello, Pinnacle. I suspected he may have been telling his own truth." Niamh inspects the cage, looking to see how difficult it might be to open. She moves gracefully over to the bar, digging through the drawers in search of misplaced keys.

Pinnacle slowly stretches, doing a form of yoga, as much as she can in the small cage. There is a ring of keys behind the bar, hanging just under the counter. The caged woman calms a bit more and finally tries a small bite of the burger. "Did you say he was coming back? What are you doing here? You don't work for him do you?"

Niamh snatches the keys and scampers back over to the cage. "I will be when the bar opens for business," she replies, "I'll be dancing here. He provides shelter and food. And clothing," she adds with a slight grimace, "Such as it is." She fumbles with the keys, trying to find the right fit. "I suppose you'll need to incapacitate me," she suggests, "I don't know where we are, but outside is very...torn up. Lots of broken buildings." She shrugs one shoulder. "It looks as if there may have been a war or something."

The door opens after a few keys are tried. Pinnacle carefully crawls out and looks at Nimah. "Really? You want to stay here with him? He is a monster." She slips her other boot off and stands up on her bare feet. The heroine tilts her head at the girl. "Incapacitate...? No...no you have helped me. Please let me help you get out of here."